Siege of Ba Sing Se
by CommanderBugs
Summary: This is the preliminary part AND the siege of ba Sing Se by General Iroh. The Avatar is not in this at all, but Admiral Zhao, Uncle Iroh, Lu Ten, and one of the Ba Sing Se generals are in it.
1. A Storm

Captain Zhao walked among the soldiers in his command. They were all eating their daily ration of food, taking camp a few miles away from the entrance to Serpents Pass. His commander was leading a separate unit to the north. Their mission was to capture the great city of Ba Sing Se.

Zhao looked up ahead, storm clouds coming in. He smiled. "Lieutenant Liko, inform the men that we will now march; feeding time is over." He said to man at his hip.

"Yes sir." The lieutenant said. "Men, Form the ranks!" The men all had a nervous look on their face and quickly dropped their bowls and stood, rushing to form rows.

Once all of the men were in position, Captain Zhao turned and faced them. "A storm is coming upon Ba Sing Se." He chuckled slightly.

In Ba Sing Se, General Soa approached the great wall of Ba Sing Se. He lifted his arms and a pillar of earth emerged from the ground, ascending him to the walking platform of the wall. He smiled at the soldier who greeted him.

"Lieutenant, how are you today?" He stepped onto the walking platform, his hands behind his back. The general's green armor glistened in the sun and his smile was even brighter.

The soldier bowed his head, "I am well, General." He looked back up at the general. The general was still smiling, bright as ever.

"Any news today?" Sao asked. He began walking towards one of the many turrets along the wall and the soldier followed.

"Sir, we have stopped someone from smuggling illegal weapons into the city. He has been given to the Dai Li." The general cringed at this, he hated the Dai Li.

Without anyone seeing him, he switched his face back to his pleasant smile. "Anything else, Lieutenant?" They reached the turret and Sao turned to look at the soldier.

"Yes sir," The man replied, "there is one other thing; a storm is approaching from the south. They say it will be very violent. We have moved the defenses to shelter."

Sao turned to see the massive black cloud approaching the city. "Ah, yes. Rain." He smiled, "Very well! Good job, Lieutenant. Have you heard anything from the scouts?"

"No sir." The man replied curtly.

General Sao smiled and nodded. "I will be awaiting any reports you have once you get them. I will be in the ground bunker." He smiled and turned, "You are in charge again, Lieutenant. Do not fail the city."

The soldier bowed, placing his fist in the cup of his hand. "With honor, sir."

General Sao smiled and left.

The scout was running, fire nipping at his heels. He yelled, "Help! Someone help! Sound the Alarm!" No one heard his cry. A large fire ball hit the man in the back and he was engulfed in flames. The man let out on scream before he died a quick death. Captain Zhao, still in bending position, approached the burning man.

"That was too close! You almost ruined the mission!" He yelled to the two men who were bowing their heads.

"We are- are sorry sir." One of them said. "He was just too quick."

"_Too quick_?" Zhao repeated harshly. "Too quick for two well trained Fire nation soldiers!" You disgrace the Firelord! You can walk home. And I am sure that Firelord Azulon, once you arrive, would be honored to hear how you nearly let his mission fail." An evil smile crossed Zhao's face. "Now leave before I kill you myself."

Horror on their faces the men took off at a run down the hill, towards the beach.

Lieutenant Liko, while Zhao was watching them men clumsily run, approached him, "Sir, we have eliminated all of the scouts. We are ready to march."

Zhao's now smiled even more evilly; this would be his chance to prove his worth.

* * *

AN: This is just the first chapter; the others will be longer. Also this is linked to the actual siege of Ba Sing Se by General Iroh (I will include that part later on). Hope you like it! Reviews are appreciated!


	2. The Ambush

General Fong approached the earth bunker beneath the city wall. The winds were beginning to get quite violent and the earth was getting blown around so it was difficult to see. Covering his face from the dirt with his right arm General Fong entered the bunker. General Sao approached him.

"Hello General!" he yelled over the loud winds.

"Hello! Have the scouts returned yet?" General Fong yelled as well.

"No! I have sent a unit to retrieve them, but I have not heard from them either!" A burst of wind and dirt came bursting through the door, getting dirt in the generals' eyes. They both groaned and rubbed their eyes.

"I am going back to the palace! I do not think anyone will be attempting an invasion in this!" He yelled.

General Sao nodded, his well-known smile on his face, "Very well, General Fong! I am going to seal the bunker behind you!"

General Fong nodded and turned to head out. As he left, earth sealing the bunker behind him, he looked up at the wall. The soldiers were standing position, not taking cover; they were loyal and General Fong was proud to have them under his command. He headed back to the palace, all the while covering his eyes with his right arm.

Meanwhile, the rescue unit was braving the winds.

"Commander Lu!" One of the men yelled.

Commander Lu stopped on his ostrich-horse as everyone else did as well. They had bandanas covering their mouth and their hat shielding their eyes. "What?" he yelled over the noisy wind. He didn't know which one of his soldiers had spoken.

A soldier prodded his ostrich-horse to move forward, towards the commander, "I thought I saw something!" He and all of the others looked around after he said this. Commander Lu hopped down from his ostrich-horse and waved his hands in the air. The dirt fell to the ground, for a second, showing a human form running along the rocks.

"Hello?" Lu yelled. There was no response. "Men! Spread out!" The men responded by moving around, some disappearing into the dirt-filled wind. Then there was a shriek. Lu looked along with his men towards the source of the sound. There was an ostrich-horse, but there was no rider on it.

"Hello?" Lu hollered again, a sign of fright in his voice. Then there was another holler. Lu looked again, only to see another empty ostrich-horse. Now he only had seven men left. He grunted and stomped on the ground, spikes of earth shooting out of the ground in to the wind. There was silence. The men all hopped off of their ostrich-horses and got into an earth bending form. They moved around in circles, not knowing where the next attack would be.

"Lieutenant Yum! Go to the palace! Hurry!" he turned and looked at Lieutenant Yum, who nodded and hopped on his ostrich-horse and rode away into the wind. There was silence, then a loud bang. The sound came from where Lieutenant Yum had rode into the wind. Commander Lu frantically waved his arms in the air, back and forth; the dirt dissipated. There was nothing there but Yum's empty ostrich-horse.

"What is this?" One of the men yelled over the wind. They were getting tired from waving.

One of the men wore out and stopped waving his arms. The dirt-filled wind engulfed him and there was a shriek. The man who was standing next to the man turned and moved the dirt away, finding nothing. He yelled in horror and frustration as he, too, got tired; he was trying to fight it, but his muscles gave out. The wind engulfed him and he disappeared.

Commander Lu frantically looked around, stomping spikes of earth into the wind; he wasn't getting results. "Retreat!" He yelled. The men stopped bending and hopped on their ostrich-horses, riding into the abyss of dirt-filled air. Commander Lu heard shrieks from his soldiers all around him. Panicking, he hopped on his horse. He was now alone, the dirt enclosing on him. He earth bended a large bolder out of the ground and suspended it in the air next to him. He waited. He saw movement and hurled the bolder into the dirt-filled air. There was no sound. The commander suspended another bolder in the air next to him. Then he saw a flash. Before he could do anything everything went black.

Captain Zhao, with a soldier at each of his sides, approached the fallen commander. He looked down at the crumpled, unconscious man and smiled.

"Men!" he yelled, "I think we have found a way to get inside the walls!" Another evil smile rippled along his face.

In the bunker in front of Ba Sing Se, General Sao waited. It was quieter in the bunker, but it was uncomfortable. He had wondered why he had not heard or seen anything yet; he was getting worried.

"Lieutenant," he turned to the lieutenant behind him, "I would like you to go to the wall and scope out the land. See if you see anything."

"Sir!" One of the men interrupted, "I see them!"

General Sao, relieved, smiled. "Are there persons with them?"

"Yes sir. They are on stretchers." The man was looking through a man-made looking hole in the earth wall of the bunker.

General Sao shook his head, saddened. "In the name of the Earth King, I hope they are okay." General Sao turned and opened the door.

"Lieutenant, Soldiers," he pointed to two other men, "follow me." The general and the three men left the bunker and braved the wind as the soldiers approached.

"Hello!" General Sao yelled over the wind to the soldiers who were approaching. He waved his arms in the air to signal them to him.

The men approached with the stretchers.

"I am gla- hey! Wait a minute!" he looked at the faces of the soldiers, "You aren't-!" the general and the soldiers with him got into earth bending form, but it was too late. The Fire nation soldiers, along with Zhao, subdued them, knocking them out, tossing them on the ground. Zhao looked up at the wall; they did not see anything; they were perfectly covered.

"Throw the general and his soldiers on the stretchers." Three men responded by stepping off of the stretchers and putting the general and the men on them, instead. Zhao moved towards the bunker and entered along with some men carrying some stretchers.

One of the Earth Soldiers approached Zhao, "Where is the general?" he asked friendly and innocent. Zhao just smashed his fist into the man's face, a stream of fire where his arm was. The rest of the Earth Nation soldiers, startled, stood to fight, but the Fire Nation soldiers had already hopped off of the stretchers and had subdued them.

Captain Zhao surveyed everything and turned to his Lieutenant. "Order a few men to stay with the guards in the bunker and send a man to report to the rest of the unit. We are entering the city." He evilly and manically chuckled, tilting his head back.

* * *

AN: This is the second chapter! I hope you like it! And I forgot to mention in chapter one that Zhao is not yet a commander; this was before his promotion.


	3. Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map

Captain Zhao approached the gate of the city, wearing his commander uniform. "Open the door!" He barked to the soldiers standing there.

One of the soldiers, the one with the higher rank, nodded and turned, cupping his hands over his mouth, "Open the gate!" The man yelled. Without hesitation the gate pushed open and Zhao entered. Once inside, Zhao smiled. The city was massive and well protected, yet this man, Captain Zhao, had successfully infiltrated the city. He looked around and saw a soldier, a low ranking soldier, standing guard and approached him.

"Corporal!" He yelled to the man. The man stood straight and saluted, so Zhao continued, "Corporal, what is new with the city?" He approached the nervous man.

"N-new, sir?" The man, afraid, asked.

Zhao pinched the bridge of his nose, "Yes…" he said quietly first, "new! I don't have to explain myself, corporal! I was handling some business outside of the city!" He was furious that this man did not respond right away. Although this man was not really one of his soldiers, he expected the soldier to act like it. This would never be allowed in the Fire Nation.

"W-well, sir, we have caught a fire nation unit outside the city. I-it seems that they were planning an invasion." He gulped.

Zhao's face went sour for a minute, realizing that his commander and his commander's unit were captured, but it quickly changed to a smile. "Where are they being held?"

"I-I-I don't know, sir. I assume in the prison." The man stared forward still, very scared of the presence of his commanding officer; Zhao had this effect on people.

Zhao shook his head, "Very well. Continue with what you were doing." Had this been the Fire Nation, Zhao would have taken the man's head off right then and there, but, since this was the Earth Nation, he had to hold his temper. Zhao walked off into the depths of the city.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Liko was holding the grounds outside of the city in the pass. The men were miserable. They had marched a very far distance so that they could not be seen and every time they stopped for a break the captain ordered them to march again. Now, however, they had their chance to rest. Lieutenant Liko watched the men, proud to have them under his command. They would die for their nation, no matter what Captain Zhao thought.

Then one of the soldiers approached and saluted, "Sir, I have a report via hawk." He held out the rolled up parchment for the Lieutenant to grab. The lieutenant grabbed it. He unrolled it and examined it; it was from Zhao. Liko read it over and looked to his men. They were all staring at him as if they were expecting explanation.

He spoke, "It would seem that Commander Hu and his men were captured from the Northern part of the city. May the Earth Nation have mercy on their souls." He paused, "This, however, does not change our orders; we will stay here and await Captain Zhao's orders. We cannot fight in the rain, so we will attack after the storm moves away. It is estimated to last another day and night. Until then, we are at rest. We will not venture out of the caves and we will always leave with an escort; we cannot risk being caught. This mission is too important." He turned and moved to sit, leaning on a rock. "Go back to duty. We need to rest." He closed his eyes, blocking out the world. He did not like this plan.

Night was falling on Ba Sing Se and Captain Zhao did not know where to report to. He was moving along the city calmly, knowing the Dai Li were watching, looking for a place to stay. He couldn't stay in an Inn because he was a soldier and that would be strange. The rain was falling pretty hard so Zhao was becoming paranoid, not being able to hear any footsteps behind him. But then he heard a voice.

"You! What are you doing out here at this hour?" Zhao turned to see a general walking towards him. It was General Fong.

"Uh, well, sir…" He rubbed the back of his head, not knowing what to say.

"What is your name and unit?" The man demanded.

"Commander Ta, previous commander of the East unit." He said quickly. He did not know if that was legitimate, but it'd have to work.

The General stared at him for the longest time then realization came across his face. "You are from one of the special units, aren't you?" He looked at Zhao hard.

"Uh, well, yes sir." Zhao replied. He looked at the man.

"Damn it!" The general yelled. "I can't stand the Earth King sending out orders without telling us first." Fong was quite upset.

Zhao was about to reply when a Dai Li agent approached them. "Is there a problem?" The man said calmly, threatening. "It is past hours." He looked to Fong and Zhao.

"Yes, I apologize." Fong began, "We were just on our way to the barracks for rest. Excuse us." He bowed his head, so Zhao did as well.

The Dai Li agent nodded too, "Get to it then. We cannot have the peace disturbed. Have a good night General, Commander." The agent turned and left.

Fong had then turned to Zhao. "Head to the Barracks, Commander." Zhao nodded so Fong walked away, still upset.

Zhao looked to the rooftops and swore he saw movement. The Dai Li were watching.

He moved quickly, moving in the same direction as the general.

He still felt, however, the ever powerful eyes of the Dai Li watching him. Then he heard another voice.

"Commander Ta."

He turned to see a very old civilian man looking at him. He quickly changed his expression, "What are you doing out here, old man? You need to be indoors; it is after hours."

The old man simply nodded, "I am guy. I am employed in the Ba Sing Se army as well."

Zhao was skeptical, "Yeah right, old man. Have you become senile in your old age?"

The man shook his head, "I am a mapmaker, not a soldier. I have actually been asked to meet with you." He looked to Zhao, signing with his eyes.

Zhao caught it after a moment, "Very well. Shall I come with you?" He was simply glad to be out of the streets, out of the rain, out of sight from the Dai Li.

The man nodded, "My home is right here." He began walking into a home that he was standing in front of. Zhao followed. Once inside the man sealed the door behind Zhao. He turned to look at him.

"I know who you are, Captain Zhao of the Fire Nation." He said curtly.

Zhao quickly crouched and leapt at the old man. The old man quickly, and surprisingly agile, dodged the attack and sent his heel into Zhao's diaphragm. Zhao dropped from the air onto his knees, holding his stomach.

"I don't want to fight, you fool. I am Fire Nation too."

"_You_ are Fire Nation? But I saw you bend earth!" Zhao said, still panting.

"Well, I am not originally from the Fire Nation, but I want to help." The man held his hand out for Zhao to grab.

Zhao did so and looked at the old man, "Why, old man?"

"Because I am tired of it all. I am tired of hiding in fear. I am tired of the Dai Li. I am tired of Ba Sing Se." He patted Zhao on the back and moved towards an earth night stand. "Tea?"

This man was a fool for siding with the Fire Nation, but this man was help, so Zhao accepted it. "No." he said curtly, "How can you help me, old man?"

The old man simply looked at Zhao, "I am the mapmaker, remember?"

Zhao moved and sat in one of the chairs as the old man sat. "And?" He wanted more than that.

The old man sighed, "I have knowledge that can be used for your unit to penetrate the city wall."

Zhao's eyes brightened. "Continue." He said, half commanding it.

The man pulled a box closer to him and pulled out a large map. He stomped his foot and a small, coffee-like table emerged from the ground. He laid the map out. "There are tunnels that lead under the wall-"

Zhao cut him off, "A way into the city." He was very eager.

"Let me finish!" the man barked. "You cannot enter through the tunnels as they are filled with supplies and guards. You would not fit."

Zhao lost his eagerness, "Then what is the point!" He said loudly.

"Shhh." Guy said, "The Dai Li will hear you! No, you cannot enter the tunnels, but it is a weakness of the walls. Collapse the tunnels and the wall above it will collapse as well." He began folding the map up, "I will give this to you and allow you to sleep here for the night. I need you to be out by morning." He handed the folded map to Zhao.

Zhao accepted it, but hesitantly, "And what do _you_ want out of this?"

"For you to succeed." The man said.


	4. The plan

Captain Zhao left the old man's house at the break of dawn. It was a beautiful morning; it was a morning of destruction. Captain Zhao now knew that he and he alone, would conquer this great city, turning its great walls to ash, slaughtering and conquering its massive army and guard, killing the earth king…

Zhao had to act quickly if he were to get his plan into motion. The mapmaker served the Fire Nation well by relinquishing maps of the city; they would use these maps to get their soldiers through or around the wall. He had to get word to his men for supplies and preparation. He put his finger in his mouth and blew, making a terribly loud whistling noise. Suddenly large wing's blocked out the sun as his bird came and perched on his arm. Captain Zhao took out the map and unrolled it, taking one last look at it. He had inscribed a message on the bottom of the map, explaining their plan. He smiled and rolled it up, placing it in the birds pouch. The bird squawked and Zhao rubbed under its chin like he would for a dog. He whispered the word lieutenant and the bird flew away and disappeared, just as quickly as it had come. Zhao smiled and began descending down the street as the new day began. Little did he know that he was being watched and that the watcher had a big plan as well.

The hawk flew fast over the lands, very few catching sight of it, none recognizing it. It flew until it reached its destination. Lieutenant Liko was there to receive it. He held out his arm and the hawk gently perched itself on it. Liko opened the pouch and examined the map. As he did so his eyes lit up with excitement and glory; this was it! He turned to his left hand man. Sergeant, I would appreciate it if you would gather the men.

The sergeant curtly nodded and spun on his heels. "Gather! Fall in! Form the ranks!" He yelled, but not too loudly.

The men hustled and ran about, forming lines. Liko turned to them. "Men, we have a new mission; it is one of great importance! For security reasons, I will not tell you in detail what it entails, but I will give you each a task that you should perform to the best of your abilities. As I have already said, you should do your best. You are all Fire Nation soldiers and the Fire Nation relies on your precision and accuracy. I will instruct Sergeant Bowman and Corporal Flu to form separate groups in each of you. I will then explain each part of this mission to its individuals." He stopped and paced a little, "Are there any questions?" He looked about, but no one spoke so he continued, "Fall out and report to Sergeant Bowman and Corporal Flu." He turned and wandered away to examine the map. He knew he shouldn't get too excited, but he couldn't help it.

Back within the walls of Ba Sing Se Zhao walked along the streets near the outer wall, examining them. He was surprised that he was still able to find shelter in the city, surprised that he was not discovered. He painted a picture in his mind of the tunnels and the ways they enter through the city. The one thing, he could _not_ picture, though, were the guard placements. He had to see for himself. He went to an alley near the wall, remembering that that was where the entrance to the tunnels from within was. He entered. He took note that there were no guards posted at the inner entrance. Although strange, it worked to his advantage so he ignored it. As he continued he came across a room underground. Within this room were hundreds of war supply and food crates. He almost was so entranced with all of the supplies that he did not see the guards. Also, with the supplies, there were about twenty guards spread along the room, standing at post. One guard spotted him.

"You!" The guard yelled, looking at Zhao. Zhao docilely looked at him, still in a trance. "You wear a general's uniform!" The man started to move towards Zhao. Now all of the other guards were paying attention as well.

"I am a general." Zhao said, still docile, but more aware.

"I don't recognize you." The man spat.

Then Zhao was aware of his current situation. A thought quickly came to his head. "Here, I will prove it to you." He unbuckled his arm guard and rolled up his sleeve. The guard was still a little distance away. "See?" Zhao asked.

"I don't see a thing." The guard replied a little hesitantly.

Zhao began walking towards the man, "Look closer! You can see very easily that-" Now he was right in front of the man and the man was focusing on Zhao's arm. Zhao smiled and bashed the man in the face with his fist. Then, in one swift movement, he launched a fireball and collapsed part of the tunnel on a few guards. Zhao twirled his body, moving into a crouching position, while shooting fire from his fingers; a very complex fire nation move that sends a deadly arsenal of fire in all directions. The guards were caught right in the center of it and were thrown off of their feet in a fiery blaze. Zhao was very pleased with himself when two pillars of earth shot from the ground right in front of him, engulfing his hands, and throwing Zhao to the ground. Zhao tried to fight it, but he couldn't free his hands. Within a minute he was surrounded by six guards. One of the guards hit Zhao across the face with his fist.

"Surrender, you Fire Nation pig!" The guard spat in Zhao's face.

Zhao was furious now and began howling like a wild beast and rolling about on the ground, trying to break himself free.

"How pathetic." Another guard said, his voice laced with disgust. Just then a rock fell from the tunnel ceiling and landed on the guards head.

"What the-?" The man said, rubbing his head and looking about the ceiling. "Did you guys see tha-?" Just then a whole pile of rocks fell, burying the soldier and the man next to him completely.

"Lieutenant?" The lead guard yelled with worry. He lifted his arms and the rocks moved into the air, revealing an empty spot. "What in the name of?"

"Where did they go?" Another guard yelled in panic.

"Just stay calm, Corpror-." He never got to finish the rank as he was sucked into the ground.

"Sir!" the corporal yelled falling onto the ground, digging with his bending. Then the earth shifted beneath him and he fell into the hole. Zhao simply stared in disbelief. He had not a single clue at what had just happened. Then a figure emerged from the entrance of the tunnel. It was dark and dusty in the room, so Zhao couldn't make anything out but the figure. Then he felt a thump on his forehead and darkness descended upon him.

"Men, stand at attention!" The sergeant said as he looked at the men. The sergeant turned on his heels and faced Lieutenant Liko.

Liko looked at the men. "We await command from Captain Zhao. We will not march, I repeat _not_ march until we receive the command. Until then I will see all of you practicing your forms and strengthening your body. The command may or may not come soon, but I _will _see all of you ready when the time comes. Dismissed." The Lieutenant turned on his heels and marched away in thought. The sergeant yelled fall out and Liko could hear feet scrambling. Liko did not like how long it was taking for Zhao to give command. It had been a week now and not one word had been received. Not even a 'hold position' command. He paced the land and looked at the wall. Perhaps they would have to move without command. Perhaps Zhao was discovered and killed. These thoughts did not please Liko; either way they were in a lot of trouble.

Zhao struggled against his restraints. He was shackled to a wall in a dark, dark room. He tried to firebend his way out, but he felt a terrible pain in his wrist. Then he heard a voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. All you are going to do is burn yourself."

"What! Who's there? Show yourself!" Zhao yelled, panicked. There was a noise and then the room was illuminated, the man creating a window in the wall of the room with earthbending. An old man stood in front of the newly created window, hunched over.

"No… It can't be!" Zhao yelled.

Guy turned around, "Yes. It is I. I deceived you and now your soldiers are marching to their deaths. You will be handed over to the Dai Li and I will be made a hero. You shouldn't have been so stupid. Your men will be entering a tunnel entrance that leads to the barracks. Hundreds of Ba Sing Se soldiers rest there. They will not survive.

"Why?" Zhao asked nearly coming to tears.

"Incompetent fool! I told you! I will be made a hero! I am tired of serving the earth kingdom so that every one of those filthy soldiers can use me. I have trained my body _and _ mind now and I can defeat any two Ba Sing Se generals! After this incident they will have no choice but to make me a soldier. Then a general. Then King." Guy said the last part sinisterly to the point that Zhao flinched.

"We will make you king if you release me." Zhao said, pleadingly.

"I am no fool. Shut up now, before I put you back out." The old man reclosed the window, darkening the room once again. Zhao was left in silence.


End file.
